To England: London Town, Part One. I Have Arrived! Or, Big Ben, Westminster, and Museums.

I waited around Coventry for a bit later train, thinking I could miss some of rush hour...I showed up around 6 which is late for leaving, but just the right time for everyone arriving from London to be clogging the station. Whoops. Once in London, I got a bit lost trying to find my hostel, I either walked right past it or jogged a block away from the right street on the very corner it was on.

I spent a lot of my first few days in London getting stupidly lost.

On Thursday morning after a lot of fumbling, I finally made it to the Eye and Big Ben/the Houses of Parliament. I got giddy in a touristy way I don't usually, thinking "I am HERE, I am IN LONDON."

Can you blame me? Iconic.

I was listening to an audio walking tour by Rick Steves and really enjoyed his voice in my ear while I was looking around at things. It also kept me from feeling overwhelmed and frustrated by the large crowds everywhere.

I went into Westminster Abbey at a very busy time of day (I'd been trying to sneak in before the crowds, but my getting lost negated that and put me in the thick of them).

It was different than what I was expecting, based on my experiences with Spanish cathedrals. Spanish cathedrals are packed with side chapels. Westminster had a few chapels but mostly graves, tombstones, memorial plaques, monuments EVERYWHERE. I loved the graves of Mary I and Elizabeth I especially. A hidden gem was the monk's chapter house off the cloisters. I was awed by the ancient grandeur of the Coronation Chair. I especially loved the note that the Stone of Scone had been returned to Scotland, where I'd be seeing it before too long...

I ducked into the Churchill War Rooms. Very interesting but claustrophobic, especially with how crowded they were. Recommended for any interested in Churchill or WWII.

I continued on up to Trafalgar Square, which was buried underneath the beginnings of some kind of music stage.

I went to the National Gallery and wasn't too impressed. Sorry. The last time I went to Spain overwhelmed me on art and I'm still not recovered. Highlights: that weird Dutch wedding portrait (the Arnolfini Wedding Portrait), some Van Gogh Sunflowers, Monet Water Lillies and Bridges.

Later I went to the National Portrait Gallery. It was really interesting to see some of the more famous portraits, like Queens Elizabeth I, Anne Boleyn, and Queen Victoria.

My legs ended the day super sore, I think from the influence of Warwick Castle the day before. My diary notes that I got lost again, too, though I don't remember how now. I must've gone out of the Tube station heading in the wrong direction. Typical for my first few days.